Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Cunning, Freddie, Music, My Childhood, Queen
As some of you know, I tried to buy Freddie Mercury’s vintage Tiffany’s moustache comb at the recent Sotherby’s auction.
I really thought I had a chance …
He apparently bought it for £90 and the estimate was £600 … so I went in with what I would consider an obscene amount of cash.
Now of course, I appreciate there is a financial crisis going on, so doing anything like this is bordering on vulgarity.
However in my defence, I have been a lifelong fan of Queen [even though I thought the music they made post 1984 was almost universally pants] so this was never about making an ‘investment’, and more about feeling close to someone who has had such an impact on my life.
That said, when I saw this photo in The Guardian in the lead-up to the auction, I was shocked at how small the comb actually was.
I don’t know why … after all, it’s a bloody moustache comb and they hardly scream MASSIVE … and yet I was convinced it would be at least the size of a normal comb rather than the sort of thing you’d find in a Christmas Cracker.
But despite that, I pressed on and for a few days … I was leading the pack.
Oh I was so excited.
I was going to get it and then have it mounted in a beautiful, ornate frame and hang it up at home … forever smiling every time I passed it.
And I would have, had my bid not got smashed to smithereens by some lunatic who bid over £150,000. ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY GRAND!!!
And it is here, my only child spirit came to the fore.
You see, only children are not good at not getting what they want.
They may have to wait.
They may have to sacrifice other things.
But they will do their fucking damnest to get it.
Which is why the day I realised that to win the item, I would have to lose my house, my car, my savings and my marriage … I decided to take another tack.
Rather than cry at what I couldn’t have, I decided to spend hours on the internet, scouring antiques shops all around the world for an identical one.
And guess what … I found one.
In Cleveland, Ohio.
It’s that one in the photo above and the one below.
OK, it’s not Freddie’s … but it was 365+ times cheaper than his and I love it … hence the plaque I had made for it.
Yes, I know it’s still utterly ridiculous, but it’s not as ridiculous as Tiffany’s not releasing them again and making a fortune from idiots like me.
Which means – based on Girl Maths [which was Rob maths before Girl Maths was even a thing] – I’m a financial whizkid.
Filed under: Bands, Birthday, Brand, Comment, Freddie, Management, Marketing, Music, Queen
Today would have been Freddie’s 77th birthday.
That’s almost as crazy as the fact he has been gone 32 years.
And yet his fame may have never been so high as it is now.
Yes … I appreciate this has been ‘managed’ and certain ‘iconography’ has been drip-fed into society … but for someone dead, he doesn’t half feel alive.
A biopic movie [albeit with a to of creative licence] that made a billion dollars.
A Greatest Hits album that is the biggest selling album of all time in the UK.
More ‘billion played’ songs on Spotify than any other artist in the world.
Countless books, TV shows and tribute acts … where they always feature Freddie in his ‘yellow jacket’ phase, despite that being when he was more performer than rockstar.
Regardless what you think about the optimisation of Freddie as a ‘brand’ in modern culture, you have to say it has been brilliantly done.
I can’t think of many celebrities who achieved the same level of cultural presence, 3 decades after they died.
And he’s only going to be more in our daily lives as the auction of his personal belongings starts in a few days.
Of course, I can imagine Freddie would love it.
When he was close to death, he called the band manager – Jim Beach – and said this to him:
“You can use my image, music and memory in any way you choose … just don’t make me boring”.
Given he is more present than many people alive and on our screens, it’s safe to say mission accomplished.
Happy 77th Freddie. You’re missed even though you’re around.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Attitude & Aptitude, Audio Visual, Authenticity, Childhood, Content, Context, Creative Development, Creativity, Culture, Freddie, Queen
So very soon, a bunch of Freddie Mercury’s belongings are going to be sold at auction.
And yes, I will be bidding on some … albeit the cheapest stuff that is available.
But if I could, there’s stuff I’d love to have.
From the shoes Freddie wore during Live Aid [which is 38 years today] to the royal cloak and crown he wore on the last Queen tour in 1986 to this …
What you see is one of the pages Freddie used to construct the lyrics and song structure for Bohemian Rhapsody.
The scribbles, the word changes [for example, originally it was going to be called Mongolian Rhapsody] the different keys he saw different parts of the song being performed in.
How amazing is that.
What is even more amazing is that it’s all on a 1974 calendar deskpad for British Midland Timesavers – which, I assume, was an airline.
Maybe he got it because originally, he worked at an airport as a baggage handler.
Maybe he got it because his parents ended up moving to Nottingham, which is near East Midland’s Airport.
But whatever the reason, for a song that will exist in culture for eternity … it’s pretty amazing it all started on some random notepad.
More than that, there are other songs that also appear on that pad … for example Somebody To Love … which proves what Queen fans have thought for decades, that they are ‘sister songs’ … and then the classic We Are The Champions, which didn’t even get recorded by the band until 3 years later.
Or said another way, one innocuous pad of paper captured three songs that went on to achieve iconic status across generations and genres.
I love it.
Not just because I’m a Queen fan, but it proves imagination and inspiration can be triggered and caught anywhere.
Sure, not everyone will achieve the same quality or impact as Freddie did, but in a world where we are trying to systemize every aspect of creativity … it’s a good reminder that for all the processes, eco-systems, models and frameworks, if we recognize, embrace, develop, work on and trust our imagination, we may find we can start creating ideas that transcend whatever the latest ‘best practice model’ can only wish for.
Not just because best practice is past practice … but because it’s goal is consistency whereas imagination is about liberation.
Now if only I had 1.2 million pounds …
Today would be Freddie Mercury’s 76th birthday.
How bizarre.
Except it shouldn’t be because Brian May and Roger Taylor are similar ages and they’re still playing.
Though recently I saw a photo of Brian May coming off stage from their last concert of this current tour and he was in tears … and you sense there’s a chance that’s it. That he knows, even though it hasn’t been said.
I can’t imagine what that must feel like.
I mean, the idea of me no longer being able to do whatever it is I do freaks me out, so to be a global rockstar who knows they can’t keep performing as they have been – even though the fanbase is there – must be a whole other level of confrontation.
But if they are bowing out, doing it on a high is the only way to go and they would be doing it if they announce it now.
Which also means I’m extra thrilled I was able to see them in London.
With my best friend Paul.
Which, for me, would be the perfect sign-off.
But the thing that’s interesting is that when you think of Freddie, you don’t think of the old man version of him. You don’t see the ‘grand damme’ looking anything other than he was in 1986 … fit, flamboyant and fantastic.
Yellow jacket.
Big moustache.
Prancing around the stage like a highly-sexed panther.
Yes, I know he died 31 years ago and that was the last ‘high profile’ image of him. But given 50% of the band are still touring, the idea we still see Freddie in his prime – rather than comparing him to his band mates – is interesting.
That said, that 1986 image is not my favourite version of him.
Queen had ‘evolved’ from rock stars to entertainers by then and I have to be honest and say I prefer when they are in full blitzkrieg rock n’ roll stars.
Which is why I wish Freddie a happy birthday and leave you with a concert they did in 1981.
Even if you hate the band you will be unable to dismiss the power of their performance. This is them at their peak … literally years before they created musical immortality with Live Aid.
Don’t get me wrong, I will always love them, but I miss this version of them most.
Happy birthday Fred.
Filed under: A Bit Of Inspiration, Advertising, Attitude & Aptitude, Comment, Freddie, Presenting, Queen
Yes, it’s a photo of Freddie.
But this is not just a tribute to him … well, not really.
The reason I love that photo is the intensity of performance.
The bulging vein. The closed eyes. The focused frown.
This photo was taken from their concert in Montreal, on their 1980/81 ‘The Game’ World Tour.
In fact, it was taken 10 years to the day before Freddie died.
But what I love about the photo is that despite Queen having been touring for years – and that concert coming at the end of an 18 month tour – he’s still bringing everything to the moment.
No short-cuts.
No lacklustre performance.
Just a show designed to leave an audience blown away.
I say this because one of the easiest mistakes agencies make is getting bored of their work before an audience is bored of it. A tiredness of going through the slow process of client acceptance. A hunger to move on to the next thing. Excitement of other opportunities that allow a fresh start.
And I get it. I get it A LOT.
But while playing a concert to 50,000 adoring fans and selling a campaign to a bunch of people in suits is pretty different … passion goes a long way in winning both parties over.
So while things should not take as long as they often do to get over the line … making sure you bring your commitment, focus and passion to meetings can go a long way at winning the audience over to your way of thinking.
And if that doesn’t change things – or worse, you see no desire from your audience to be part of something great – then maybe that’s when you need to adopt another Rockstar trait … which is get on the tour bus, speed out of town, never look back and go find an audience who value you – and will reward you – for being at your best.